Expect to pay more to park in downtown Rockford next year

ROCKFORD - The cost to park downtown will rise in the new year whether you need a spot for a few hours or a monthly permit.

Rates at city-owned parking decks, surface lots and on-street spots will increase in an attempt to close the financial gap on the cost to provide parking, officials said.

It costs the city about $300,000 more to maintain and manage its 7,878 parking spaces than it brings in with fees. That pushes back maintenance needed on property like the concourse parking deck adjoined to the BMO Harris Bank Center, which had its top two levels shut down in June 2012 because of crumbling cement.

"In order to have a parking system that can support all the different special events and activities we have downtown, we need to make sure we invest in that system," said City Administrator Jim Ryan. "Unfortunately, we've had parking fees that have been subsidized for a long time."

The city is exploring ways to add parking downtown to make up for the concourse's closure.

The cost for a monthly pass at three parking decks and one garage will rise from $53 to $60. The lesser-used Pioneer deck near Coronado Performing Arts Center has a $49 fee, a lower cost meant to encourage more use. A one-month pass on most surface lots will increase from $43 to $49. Hourly rates at parking decks will rise, too. For example, parking for one to two hours will rise from $2 to $5 and parking for four to five hours will increase from $4.25 to $9.50.

Ald. Tom McNamara, D-3, said parking fees were increased to help balance the city's budget without increasing the property tax levy. McNamara is co-chairman of the downtown parking committee, which is made up of stakeholders including downtown business owners, residents and city officials that helped shape the fee structure with recommendations from city administration. The committee also looks more holistically at parking needs and logistics.

"With $300,000 annually going into deficit, we had to increase the parking fees," McNamara said. "We need to, as a city, be better able to maintain the parking we have."

Increasing parking rates was a difficult decision for all committee members and will be revisited next year, McNamara said.

The most drastic change in prices comes for roughly 75 people who hold permits for on-street parking in residential areas such as Chestnut Street and Indian Terrace. That permit allows people, most of whom live in the downtown area, to park in hourly on-street spaces without a time restriction. The permit increases from $10 a year to $10 a month.

"To some people $120 might not seem like a lot, but for some it would be a hardship," said Ald. Karen Elyea, D-11. "Although $10 is a little low, if we were going to increase, it should not have been that much all at once."